Canadian airline WestJet wins Heathrow slots

Yesterday we covered JetBlue’s allocation of Heathrow slots for the Summer season.

JetBlue is not the only new airline to arrive at Heathrow this Summer. The new covid slot rules allowed airlines to surrender their Heathrow slots with a guarantee that they would get them back next year.

This has encouraged other airlines to apply, presumably because they feel they would be at the front of the queue for any slots which are permanently released.

The most interesting move is WestJet. It has secured slots at Heathrow for one daily Vancouver service and one daily Calgary service, although the timing will depend on the Canadian border opening.

WestJet is a similar airline to JetBlue, offering a premum lie-flat business class seat – image below – with a low-cost carrier approach.

Heathrow will also be welcoming Bamboo Airlines. The Vietnamese low cost carrier has secured slots for three weekly flights to Hanoi and three to Ho Chi Minh City.

Rwandair has also received slots to move its current Kigali service from Gatwick.

There is no guarantee that all of these services launch. The exact timing will depend on restrictions, both in the UK and at the destination. With no guarantee of slots being available for the Winter season from late October, there is presumably a cut-off beyond which it simply isn’t worth setting up a Heathrow operation.

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How to maximise your miles when paying for flights (April 2025)

Some UK credit cards offer special bonuses when used for buying flights. If you spend a lot on airline tickets, using one of these cards could sharply increase the credit card points you earn.

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Buying flights on British Airways?

The British Airways Premium Plus American Express card earns double Avios (3 Avios per £1) when used at ba.com.

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